Bannister makes late dash to head cauldron betting

Roger Bannister, the first man to run a sub four-minute mile, has emerged as the late joint favourite to light the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony of the London Games on Friday.

The 83-year-old, who etched his name into Britain's sporting psyche when he ran the distance in three minutes and 59.4 seconds in 1954, is joined at the head of the betting by five-times Olympic rowing gold medallist Steve Redgrave.

Bannister, who narrowly missed out on a medal in the 1,500 metres at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, and Redgrave, who won gold in consecutive Games from 1984, both carried the Olympic torch on a leg of its relay earlier this month.

Sixty-thousand fans will be crammed into London's Olympic stadium to watch film director Danny Boyle's three-hour marathon epic that is set to kick-off the Games in spectacular style.

The identity of the torch lighter has been a closely-guarded secret but Britain's chef de mission Andy Hunt, who is among only a handful of people who know who it is, said this week the decision had been unanimous.

Double Olympic decathlon champion Daley Thompson had been near the head of the betting, but has slipped in recent days and can now be backed at 16-1 with some bookmakers.

Reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth and former England football captain David Beckham are also among the favourites, along with fictional character James Bond.